HRH Crown Prince lays first stone of the East Sitra housing project
Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister today laid the foundation stone of the East Sitra housing project.
During the event, which was organised by the Ministry of Housing, His Royal Highness highlighted the importance of allocating and distributing housing units as part of the Government’s Action Plan, which aims to meet the needs and aspirations of Bahrain’s citizens.
His Royal Highness further highlighted that the East Sitra housing project, which will provide 5,000 housing units and various services and facilities, represents a key milestone in the Kingdom’s commitment to increasing housing availability and meeting His Majesty the King’s directives to build 40,000 housing units.
His Royal Highness underlined that His Majesty’s committed support has helped further the development of various development projects in the Kingdom, including social housing and residential cities.
His Royal Highness went on to highlight the role of Bahrain’s Government Action Plan, led by His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, in developing clear strategies aimed at advancing housing projects and ensuring efficient use of resources and expenditure, which includes the implementation of the GCC Development Programme. In this regard, His Royal Highness emphasised the generous contribution of the United Arab Emirates to substantial development projects in the Kingdom, in particular the East Sitra housing project. His Royal Highness further highlighted that the UAE’s support demonstrates the long-standing and strategic ties between Bahrain and the UAE, and reaffirms the unity among GCC states which is underpinned by shared values and strategic goals of long-term growth and development.
His Royal Highness then noted the role of the Ministerial Committee for Services and Infrastructure, headed by Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, and its efforts to support the housing sector. His Royal Highness praised the efforts of the Ministry of Housing and its affiliates in implementing a number of housing projects and initiatives.
His Excellency Basim bin Yaqoob Al Hamar, the Minister of Housing, then delivered a speech in which he extended his appreciation to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for laying the first foundation stone. He highlighted that the East Sitra housing project represents a key step in the Ministry’s commitment to delivering 25,000 housing units within four years.
His Excellency also highlighted Bahrain’s ongoing commitment to addressing the needs of Bahrain’s citizens, which stretches back to 1963 when Isa Town was established. He noted previous developments including the development of Madinat Hamad in the 1980s, and Zayed Town in the 1990s. His Excellency praised the important role of these two developments in providing social housing for Bahrain’s low-income families.
His Excellency also noted that the laying of the foundation stone for the East Sitra Project, which includes the Northern City and Eastern Hidd, served as a starting point for a series of other housing projects that are near completion, as well as a series of other housing projects currently being tendered.
His Excellency the Minister of Housing then noted the various East Sitra housing project milestones, including that the land reclamation process had started during the middle of last year as part of the UAE’s contribution to the GCC Development Programme. His Excellency further highlighted that the Ministry of Housing is currently working with a number of social housing development experts.
A speech was also given by Shaikh Hisham bin Abdul-Rahman Al Khalifa, Governor of the Capital Governorate, in which he conveyed the appreciation of the citizens of the Capital Governorate for the establishment of the East Sitra housing project. His Excellency added that the project will make a significant contribution towards fulfilling the housing demands for families within Sitra and the Capital Governorate as a whole.
After laying the foundation stone for the housing project, His Royal Highness toured an exhibition, which detailed the history of Sitra’s urban development, and was briefed about the implementation plan for housing projects.
Following the directives of His Royal Highness, the Ministry of Housing then distributed certificates allocating housing units for 746 applicants as part of the initial phase of the housing project in East Sitra.
The East Sitra housing project is part of a series of projects within the Kingdom, and follows a comprehensive evaluation of the need for housing in Sitra.
